Improvement in fences



UNrrnn STATES Arnivr Ormea.

IMPROVEMENT IN FENC ES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 54,459, dated May 1,1866.

To all 'whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ELI YORK, M. D., of Windsor, in the county of'Shelby and State of Illinois, have invented a new and Improved Fence 5and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exactdescription thereof, which will enable others skilled in the art to makeand use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings,forming a part of this specification, in which- Figure 1 is aperspective view of a portion of a fence made according to my invention.Fig. 2 is an end elevation of my invention.

Similar letters of reference indicate like parts.

The object of my invention is to construct a fence of such material asis usually found lying around when clearing off timber-land, Without thenecessity of any essential carpentering or preparation of the material,and at the same time provide a strong and very durable fence.

My invention, therefore, consists in putting up a strong and durablefence in a manner which will require but little or any preparation ofthe timber of which the fence is to be made. The fence may be built outof round, sawed, or split timber.

A designates the posts of the fence, and B blocks, which I termground-chunks, upon which the posts rest.

C are the upright pieces or pickets, and D the rails which passfrom postto post and hold the pickets in place.

The ground-chunks B may be of any knotty or crooked timber which wouldbe almost worthless for any other purpose. These rest or rather lieAupon the ground, and form the base to which the posts A are secured.They may be bolted to the ground, as represented, or not, as may befound practicable in different cases. It would bewell to have ashouldercut in the lower ends of the posts, as shown at a, Fig. 1, togive them a firmer position, though such shoulder need not necessarilybe used, and would not, probably, if the side of the post besufficiently square where it is placed against the side of theground-chunks. The posts are bolted to the ground-chunks by nails orspikes, or wooden bolts, or in any suitable way.

The rails D extend from post to post on each side of the posts, one pairnear the top of the posts and the other near the bottom, as shownclearly in the drawings. The upper rails are bolted to the posts in anysuitable manner, and

the lower ones are bolted to the posts or to the groundchunks in anysuitable manner.

The pickets C may be of any kind of timber, and their shape is notessential-such pieces as can be easily procured will answer the purpose.They may be of any suitable length, according to the height it isdesigned to build the fence,

and their distance apart may be greater or less, as desired. A verytight fence, as effective as a close board fence, can be had by puttingthe pickets close together, as shown in the drawings. The ends maysimply rest upon the ground, or maybe driven into it, if desired.

The several ground-chunks along the fence project out on alternate sidesso as to form a better support. But in order to the better support thefence I contemplate, in some cases, using a brace, one of whose ends canbelet into a notch cut into the posts and the other into a notch cutinto the groundchunks.

A few of the many advantages of a fence constructed according to myinvention are:

First, the timber of which it is made needs but little preparation, andsuch timber can be used as is generally in woody localities burned whenclearing the ground. Round pieces, just as they are cut, would answerfor pickets, and all such piecesv as would not be suitable for makingfences in the ordinary way.

Second, the fence would be lasting and durable, for the reason thattimber does not so quickly decay when in an upright position instead ofa horizontal.

Third, the posts need not enter the ground, and the very part which inan ordinary setpost7 fence enters the ground could be used for aground-chunk, where timber is not very plentiful.

Fourth, the posts may be put much farther apart than those of ordinaryfences, and the rails will yet be iirm, as they sustain little weight orstrain.

Fifth, the fence is portable, as it can be quickly taken apartandtransported by merely knocking off the rails which hold the pickets inplace.

Sixth, the fence may be made a close fence,

whichis of greatimportance in many instances, and especially inwool-growing and fruit-rais ing sections of the country, and in suchcases fence may be put up Without any essential the fence could be madehigh enough to prepreparation ofthe timber composing thefence, vent theinvasion of wolves or the climbing substantially as specified. over ofboys for evil purposes.

. yf" What I claim as new, and desire to secure I ELI YORK M' D' byLetters Patent, is- Witnesses: y

The manner herein described of construct- A. BLAND,

ing a, fence, whereby a, strong and durable Z. FERGUSON.

